US President Trump cancels peace talks with Taliban leaders

September 8, 2019

President Trump said Saturday he called off a planned Camp David summit with Taliban leaders and Afghan President Ashraf Ghani after a Taliban bomb attack in Kabul killed an American soldier.
On Twitter, Mr. Trump said the Afghan government and Taliban officials had been coming to the U.S. Saturday night. The president’s tweets reflected his most extensive direct involvement in the monthslong talks.
US negotiator Zalmay Khalilzad had announced a peace deal “in principle” with the Taliban on Monday.
As part of the proposed deal, the US would withdraw 5,400 troops from Afghanistan within 20 weeks. However, Mr Khalilzad said final approval still rested with Mr Trump.
The US currently has about 14,000 troops in the country.
On Thursday, a Kabul car bombing carried out by the Taliban killed 12 people, including a US soldier.
A Romanian soldier serving with the Nato-led mission in the country was also killed.
The attack highlights fears that US negotiations with the Taliban won’t end the violation in Afghanistan.